


The Cortas Siblings

by myticanlegends



Category: Falling Kingdoms Series - Morgan Rhodes
Genre: Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 12:10:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11623251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myticanlegends/pseuds/myticanlegends
Summary: Amara and Ashur grew up together in the palaces of Kraeshia as outsiders to their family. She wasn't supposed to be there, her father wanted her dead, and Ashur didn't want to participate in their families legacy. They only had each other.So how did everything go so wrong?





	The Cortas Siblings

“Shh,” a childish voice came from in the middle of the dark space. A series of giggles followed.

There was the sound of shuffling and then footsteps coming closer. The sushing became more urgent but the volume of giggles only increased. The child trying to quiet the other resorted to giggling along with their friend.

A door opened revealing the two children hiding in the cupboard, crouched together and exchanging looks that only the two of them could decipher. They toppled out the minute the cupboard opened, giggling and laughing and fumbling to untangle themselves.

It was a common sight to see the two of them together, dark skinned and pale blue-eyed adventurers that ran about the palace gardens. Prince Ashur and his sister Princess Amara, only seven and five respectively, and already an inseparable pair of whirlwinds. Ashur finally had a sibling who cared to play with him and Amara had a friend who didn't treat her with the confusing demeaning looks that most in the castle greeted her with.

"Grandmother!” The young girl cried as she managed to pull herself to her feet with another giggle. “You found us!”

"Of course, dhosha,” the old woman replied amusedly. “If you don't want to be found, try being quieter next time.”

Amara swung around at her brother with a pout. “I told you!”

Ashur crinkled his nose at her playfully. “You were the one that wanted to hide in the cupboard!”

“It was a good spot!” the younger insisted.

Ashur grinned at her and stuck out his tongue. Amara stuck out her own before turning to their grandmother once more.

“Count to ten again, madhosha!”

“Ask politely,” Neela chided.

“Please!” Ashur said, bouncing on his toes excitedly. “Again, madhosha, again!”

Neela felt the corner of her lips twitch upward. She had never been able to refuse the youngest two of the Cortas family. “Once more,” she promised.

The children cheered and scampered away as she began counting again, Ashur taking his younger sister’s hand and he dragged her away with him.

“We should hide in the gardens this time,” Neela heard Amara say in that loud excited whisper of hers as they ran to their newest hiding place.

“No,” Ashur told his sister and the joy in his voice was evident even from afar. “Let's explore!”

Five years later and Ashur understood that their father did not like Ashur playing with his sister as much as he did. As a child it was fine but now he had to start his studies and act princely and Amara was simply not supposed to be part of this future. Because she was a girl. 

Maybe it was just because he was only twelve but he thought that concept was stupid.   
He made a point to spend as much time as his little sister as possible. Both because he was protective of her and because she was the only one around who seemed to make sense. With his father and his brothers it was already just war and conquering and strategy and princely things. With Amara they were just brother and sister and he was twelve and he could still be as childish as he wanted.

Amara had become a perceptive child and understood that not only was she not part of her brother’s future but that she was not supposed to be there at all. At ten years old, she had already started to avoid their father. Ashur treated her equally and like she was a person as well and respected her young intelligence. When she wasn't with their grandmother, he was the one she sought out. He helped her forget that her entire existence was a sort of taboo.

The still young children were in the library sitting close to each other with their books, Amara with a book Ashur had given her for her birthday, regifted from his own a year previous. It still had small dog-eared flaps and Amara loved it with all her heart. Ashur was reading a book about his newest favorite topic- pirates. He wished he could be a pirate, free to do as he wished with a crew of loyal men and a whole world to explore in front of him.

Amara glanced over at her brother as he read and something must have showed in his expression because she set down her book and took his hand.

“Let's play pirates,” she whispered playfully.

Ashur’s face lit up in a smile and he carefully dog-eared his page before placing it back on the shelf. Amara grinned at him and, still holding his hand, pulled him along after her. 

The library was the world and each aisle was an unexplored land. 

“A map to a buried treasure!” Amara exclaimed, looking up at a giant map on the wall. A pin was placed at every new country that their father conquered and they both knew it but at the moment the pins didn't exist. The world was theirs to conquer.

They stared at the treasure map in wonder.

“There,” Ashur decided, pointing at a small discreet island where no pin resided. It was the perfect place for a hidden treasure. “That's where the treasure is buried!”

Amara agreed and when they exchanged looks, they could both tell what the other was thinking. They turned and darted between the shelves of the large library in their quest for the X that would mark the spot. Together they were the rulers of the sea and no one dared standing in their way.

“Your highness!” A voice called into the library and the two siblings ducked between some shelves.

“Your highness, your tutor requests your presence in your chambers for your lesson,” the voice called again and it was clear which royal sibling he was talking to.

Ashur gave Amara an apologetic look. Amara stared back for a second before softly nodding. They both knew that Ashur loved his lessons and as much as Amara wanted to, she wasn't going to stop him from going just because she wanted to play a game. She always had their grandmother just outside the palace.

Ashur left for his lessons leaving Amara behind the bookshelf. The servant hadn't even noticed her hidden presence as she watched her brother leave with a sorrowful glance behind his shoulder.

They would have to find their buried treasure another day.

Another five years and Ashur was the youngest and most sought after prince of Kraeshia and Amara was the beautiful daughter of Emperor Cortas, most likely to be married off when it struck their father’s fancy. Ashur always laughed when they talked about Amara being sent off because by fifteen she was still “too much for one person, much less some foreign prince, to handle”. Amara always laughed whenever their father mentioned Ashur courting anyone because she had known for years now that her brother was into… and it wasn't women.

After a year of being at the front lines of their father’s conquering army, on the father’s orders, Ashur came home to an elated sister. Their grandmother was wonderful but she could be overbearing. The next day Amara asked Ashur to teach her to fight. Ashur understood why automatically- if Amara was ever going to gain respect in the eyes of men, she would need to be able to fight and conquer. Although he had lost any drop of taste for that himself in his year away he smiled and picked up his sword with a grin, tossing her another. Because it was what Amara wanted- needed almost- and who was Ashur to stop her?

Their swords clashed as they sparred in the gardens and both could be heard laughing.

“You're going easy on me,” Amara accused playfully, twirling her sword in front of her.

“Maybe you're just getting better,” Ashur’s eyes sparkled.

Amara glared, although it held no bite, and charged. Ashur twisted away and swung his sword in a way that caused her own to clatter to the ground.

“Still think I'm going easy?” Ashur laughed.

Amara picked up her fallen blade and looked it over. “Maybe,” she admitted before lashing out suddenly.

Her skirts whirled out behind her in an almost mesmerizing way and Ashur had a second to admire how graceful his little sister had become before he found himself weaponless with a sword at his throat. He had never felt so proud of her. 

Amara smirked at him and he smiled back.

“What a shame you weren't going easy,” she teased. “This would have been so much less embarrassing for you if you were.”

Ashur shrugged. “You're getting better,” he told her.

She removed the sword from his neck and handed his own back. “Only better?”

“You could beat half the men in our army,” Ashur admitted with a laugh and she joined him. “But don't go around testing that theory.”

Amara only grinned in response and backed away to get in starting position again. “Shall we try again?”

“Of course,” Ashur replied and as their swords met Ashur couldn't help but feel bad for anyone who would find themselves in his sister’s way.

Four years later, Amara found herself standing over her brother with a bloodied knife. 

It wouldn't have happened if he hadn't excitedly showed her one day the large map in the library and pointed to the small island he had pointed to so many years ago and announced, “Mytica, Amara. It's really got a buried treasure.”

A tale was woven about magic and goddesses and power. Ashur went ahead and discovered it was all real. But he couldn't do it without his little sister by his side and soon after the verification, she was. 

Unfortunately, they both knew each other's heart and souls and acted accordingly.

Forgive me?, Amara asked Ashur with her eyes as she looked down at his bleeding body. She still held the dripping knife in her hands from where she had stabbed him and it accorded to her that someone was yelling.

I wish I could, Ashur's eyes stared back up at hers regretfully.

It hurt her more than she could admit. His eyes glazed over. She had killed him, the only person she ever cared about and who ever truly cared for her and who had only ever done the best for her and she killed him and oh my god she killed him. 

It had to be done, her grandmother’s voice told her in her head.

She knew it was true but she didn't believe it.

A year later, it was Ashur was cradling his little sister's body as she died. 

"Forgive me?” she asked softly and Ashur knew she wasn't talking about anything to do with the Kindred or become Empress or her mission for power. Amara didn't regret that.

She wanted forgiveness for causing him pain. From the beginning she had never wanted to hurt her older brother who had stuck with her through everything. Now she felt like they were millions of miles apart and she had hurt him, killed him, and yet here he was at her deathbed with the nerve to cry and care for her as he always had.

He didn't even need to think to find his answer.

“Of course,” his voice cracked.

Amara didn't deserve him. But because she was selfish she accepted his forgiveness and locked it in her heart knowing that their relationship would die with her as mended as it could be after all that had happened.

She died, not content, but with a small hole in her heart filled.

Behind them, Nic placed a comforting hand on Ashur's shoulder and he turned with silent tears running down his cheeks. Cleo and Magnus stood further away watching. He didn't mind they had killed her. It had to be done.

Now there could be peace.

But he remembered playing with her as children and watching her grow up and growing himself. He remembered playing make pretend and hiding from their father. He remembered teaching her and their couple years of traveling across the seas in search of anywhere that their family couldn't touch them, if only for those months at a time. He remembered her garden of rocks and her smile and small insignificant details came flooding back, the good and the bad. 

He was the only Cortas left.

He had given a small hole in his heart away for Amara that would never quite be filled.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I've transferred this fic from my tumblr (myticanlegends) so feel free to visit and stuff. I love the Cortas siblings so naturally I had to write a fic about them.


End file.
